Q: It is
permissible to mention the questions of Biblical Criticism in order to bring
our answers?

A: Our Rabbi
Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah once yelled at someone who asked this question.We should not mention Biblical Criticism at
all (see Rambam, Avodah Zarah 2:2).

Moral Message

Q: Why don't
we describe our Forefather's actions as immoral in order to impart a moral
message?

A: A shrewd
trick to slander our Forefathers.

Holiness of
our Forefathers

Q: Were our
Forefathers and Foremothers in the Tanach holy people?

A: What a
question!Holy with a holiness beyond
our understanding.

Where is it
Written

Q: Where do we
find in the Tanach itself that our Forefathers were spiritual giants and not
merely regular people?

A: If they
were merely regular people, why did Hashem reveal Himself to them and establish
their path as a guide for us?

Lashon
Ha-Ra about People in the Tanach

Q:
What is the problem with speaking negatively about people in the Tanach?

A: Ha-Rav
Moshe Feinstein relates in the preface to the volume 8 of Shut Igrot Moshe, an
incident which occurred in the city in Russia where he served as Rabbi.A man became ill with a horrible sickness:
his tongue swelled up within his mouth, he was unable to speak and he
eventually died.A day before his death,
Rav Moshe came to visit him and the man asked that everyone leave the room. He
had something private and of great importance to discuss with the Rav.He explained that he had given a class and
had discussed Lot's older daughter who named her son Moav – from father.She was the progenitor of the Moabite People,
which means that she is the ancestor of Rut, who is the great-grandmother of
King David, from whom the Messiah will descend.How could it be, he had asked, that this woman, who had no shame, and
therefore publicized her illicit and immoral behavior by giving her son a name
that would ever recall her sinful act, was granted such honor?He spared no words in denigrating her
behavior.He continued: "That
night, two elderly women appeared to me in a dream. Their heads and faces were
covered, and they said they were Lot's daughters.They had heard my complaint about their
behavior and came from the World of Truth to convey to me a justification for
their actions.Since it was well-known
that Avraham Avinu, their uncle, was an individual for whom miracles were
commonplace, they feared that people might say that their sons were conceived
by immaculate conception.There were no
men around, so how else could they have been conceived?In order to prevent another religion such as
Christianity from being established by this misunderstanding, they decided to
publicize the source of their conception.Their motives were pure and lofty.Since he had spoken ill against them and defamed their character, he was
to be punished as the spies in the wilderness were punished. Their tongues
swelled, and they died an unusual death."Ha-Rav Feinstein says that this seems correct.

Don't speak
Lashon Ha-Ra about people and incidents you don't know about.And if this is true for the daughters of Lot,
it is all the more so for our holy Forefathers and Foremothers.

The Essence –
The Mitzvot

Q:
What is the problem with saying that our Forefathers were not completely
morally upright?After all, isn't the
essence of the Torah to perform Mitzvot?

A:
This also uproots the obligation to fulfill the Mitzvot.

We
are Morally Superior to the Forefathers

Q:
What is the problem with saying that we are morally superior to the
Forefathers?

A:
I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you do not know them.

Mission Statement

To Enrich the spiritual life of the English-speaking World through the Torah of Ha-Rav Shlomo Aviner, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ateret Yerushalayim in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. By offering English translations of Rav Aviner’s written and oral Torah, this division of the yeshiva aims to expose English speakers to a powerful, sensitive and poetic voice unparalleled in our time. His unfailing optimism, his tolerance and love all Jews, his guidance for harmony within the Jewish family and his dedication to Eretz Yisrael, the State of Israel and Tzahal will inspire and enrich the lives of all who may now have access to his words.